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ISTHMIAN  CANAL,  CAUSES 
OF  DELAY  IN  CONSTEUCHON 


AN  ISTHMIAN  CANAL. 


CAUSES  OF  DELAY 
IN  CONSTRUCTION. 


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An  Address  Delivered  at 

PHILADELPHIA, 

June  13. 1901, 

BY 

SEWALL  C   COBB. 

of  Pensacola,  Fla. 


Exports  of  Petisacolft, 

1895.   $3,140,000. 
1900,  »I4.349,00O. 

Depth  of  Chamiel  30  ft. 


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AN  ISTHMIAN  CANAL.. 


XHe  Outlook  and  Causes  of  Delay- 
in  Construction. 


Five  hundred  and  fifty  million  ©f  people  of  the  Far  East  for  half  a 
century  have  entreated  us  to  open  a  highway  throng-hthe  narrow  strip 
of  land  that  connects  the  two  great  continents  of  America 

They  have  extended  their  hands  of  welcome  to  us,  but  we  have 
had  at  the  helm  of  the  ship  of  State,  men  of  limited  maritime  informa- 
tion. 

The  bronzed  visage  of  labor  ha§  gazed,  and  the  hands  have  pointed 
towards  those  now  distant  marts  of  commerce,  and  declared  we  want 
the  opportunity  to  cement  our  "brotherhood  of  mankind,"  by  enlarged 
and  rapid  commercial  intercourse,  but  a  deaf  ear  has  been  turned  to 
their  requests. 

When  our  military  arm  sought  opportunity  for  promotion  (in 
rank)  our  officials  rushed  to  a  conflict  with  a  people  (of  less  than  ten 
million-  in  population)  and  already  have  expended  in  the  effort  to 
inoculate  them  with  "benevolent  assimilation,"  upwards  of  three 
hundred  millions  of  dollars,  and  countless  lives. 

This  money  expended  in  the  other  process,  "commercial  assimi- 
lation," would  have  constructed  the  Nicaragua  Canal,  and  established 
lines  of  steamships  (numbering  not  less  than  100,  each  of  5.000  tons 
capacity),  carrying  of  our  own  products,  not  less  than  six  million  tons 
annually,  to  the  waiting  customers,  who  would  love  to  see  again,  as  in 
olden  time,  the  star  spangled  banner  floating  from  the  ship's  lofty 
main, 


AN  ISTHMIAN  CANAL. 

The  20th  century  calls  for  human  advancement.  We  of  the  South 
learned  at  the  close  of  the  war,  that  if  we  would  develop  our  resource.s, 
the  Anj^-el  of  Peace  must  spread  her  white  pinions  over  all  the  land, 
and  the  military  arm  must  be  subservient  to  the  Civil  Authority. 

The  cl-aim  of  would  be  statesmen,  "that  it  was  not  known  that  we 
were  a  political  world-power,  and  were  only  revealed  by  the  Spanish 
war,"  is  nullified  by  the  utterances  of  many  distinguished  foreigners. 
See  page  335,  "Key  of  the  Pacific."  The  author,  the  official  agent  of 
the  British  Government,  declares:  "I  believe  that  the  Canal  can  be 
made,  and  that  long  hindered  by  political  difficulties  alone,  it  will  now 
be  carried  out  under  the  auspices  of  the  United  States  Government," 

"The  Canal  is  a  necessity  of  the  age,  and  were  the  cost  double 
what  I  estimate  it  to  be,  the  immense  benefits  certain  to  result,  would 
amply  justify  its  execution.  It  will  bind  together  the  remote  sections 
of  that  immense  country,  assimilate  its  diverse  interests,  go  far 
towards  solving  many  difficult  problems,  and  make  the  United  States 
still  more  united."  This  was  printed  at  Westminster,  England,  Oct. 
30th,  1895,  and  we  pause  to  ask  why  has  this  condition  not  been  met  by 
our  national  action? 

We  now  wish  to  allude  to  some  of  the  causes  of  "delay." 

THE  CAUSES  OF  DELAY  IN  PROVIDING  AN 

OPEN  DOOR  FOR  MARITIME  TRAFFIC 

TO  THE  PACIFIC  OCEAN. 

In  1850,  while  residing  in  New  Orleans  for  the  winter,  and  engaged 
in  the  construction  of  the  "Louisiana"  drydock  (for  the  repair  of 
shipping),  many  questions  of  national  interest  were  debated. 

First  of  all  was  that  relating  to  a  canal  from  Greytown  on  the  At- 
lantic to  Brito  on  the  Pacific  ocean.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  was  run- 
ning a  line  of  steamers  across  Lake  Nicaragua,  connecting  via  the 
San  Juan  river  on  the  east  with  the  Atlantic  steamships,  and  by  stage 
on  the  west  end  the  ocean  traffic. 

We  held  conversation  often  with  men  of  intelligence  who  were 
personally  cognizant  of  the  natural  conditions,  and  saw  no  obstacle  to 
prevent  the  construction  by  the  nation  of  a  canal. 

Someone  may  say  it  was  not  known  at  that  date  what  commerce 
would  require.  That  was  true  of  the  citizen  in  the  interior,  but  not  of 
those  whose  business,  or  family  relations,  kept  them  in  touch  with  the 
intelligent  shipmaster,  and  merchant. 


Great  Britain  saw  the  cloud  "not  big-g-er  than  a  man's  hand,"  and 
sought  to  bind  us  by  a  treaty,  (the  Buhver-Clayton),  for  which  we  had 
no  use  (as  it  manacled  us  for  all  time),  and  she  procured  it  by  the  ex- 
penditure of  not  exceeding-  five  hundred  dollars  in  champagne,  and 
Clayton's  champagne  treaty  has  returned  to  Great  Britain  a  million 
dollars  for  every  dollar  expended  in  its  procurement. 

THE  CLAYTON-BULWER  TREATY. 

The  Cla^j'ton-Bulwer  treaty  is  only  a  pretext  for  delay.  That 
Great  Britain  had  nothing  to  contribute  to  the  project  of  a  canal, 
except  money,  is  true  Her  occupation  of  the  Mosquito  Coast  was  more 
of  a  6/wj!f  than  f rom  anything  intrinsic  at  that  time  appertaining  to 
the  territory'.  She  thought  that  reinforced  by  a  treaty,  her  occupation 
of  the  eastern  terminal  of  the  Canal  would  give  her  at  least  a  cloud 
upon  the  title  of  anj'  concession  the  United  States  might  obtain  from 
Nicaragua. 

The  taking  over  of  the  "Pellas  Concession"  by  the  Atlas  Steam- 
ship Co.  (British),  and  their  endeavors  to  make  their  rights,  not  only 
perpetual,  but  superceding  those  of  any  canal  company,  gives  plain 
evidence  of  her  intention  to  evade  all  questions  of  paramount  inter- 
est, not  only  to  the  United  States,  but  all  the  rest  of  mankind. 

"We  cannot  concede  the  right  of  any  nation  to  dictate  either  locality, 
or  manner  of  occupation,  to  those  whose  mutual  interests  demand  a 
work  free  from  all  entangling  alliances. 

Costa  Rica,  Nicaragua  and  the  United  States  of  America  are  com- 
petent to  decide  what  is  best  for  their  interests  They  have  no  dis- 
position to  impose  upon  the  commercial  interests  of  the  world  any 
burdens  which  it  ought  not  to  bear,  and  if  left  unfortified,  the  cost  will 
be  largely  reduced,  and  all  burdens  lightened. 

We  have  come,  or  are  rapidly  coming,  to  the  time  when  the  intel- 
ligent toilers  of  the  world  will  saj^  "there  shall  be  no  more  war  of 
nations.  The  shedding  of  blood  of  friends  to  gratifj-  the  ambitions, 
or  whims,  of  so-called  statesmen  must  cease. 

It  is  true  that  we  will  have  to  meet  and  conquer  the  idea  that  the 
Supreme  Ruler  of  the  Universe,  who  has  declared  that  "not  a  sparrow 
falls  to  the  ground  without  his  notice,"  loves  to  see  man  drenched  in 
his  brother's  blood. 

The  inventors  who  have  given  us  an  open  door  to  swift  converse 
and  travel,  have  broken  down  more  of  the  barriers  against  humanity, 
in  a  decade,  than  all  the  exploits  of  the  military  have  overcome  in 
sixty  centuries. 


"have  you  no  questions  to  ask  the  Captain"  was,  "all  I  want  to  know 
is;  how  my  constituents  can  g-et  25  cents  a  bushel  for  their  potatoes, 
and  /  can  g-et  my  renomination;  if  the  captain  can  tell  me  that,  I'll  be 
happy." 

I  have  mcutioucd  one  of  the  strong  causes  of  delay  in  action.  Let 
us  ask  what  has  been  the  manner  of  Great  Britain  in  her  commercial 
intercourse  with  Colonies  and  other  Nations. 

My  grandsire,  who  fought  all  through  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
from  his  18th  year  to  his  26th  year  inclusive,  on  the  day  before  he 
passed  from  the  earthly  life,  at  the  ag-e  of  85  (1842),  rehearsed  to  a 
group  of  ten  boys  (his  grandchildren),  the  causes  of  the  war  for  inde- 
pendence on  the  land;  also  the  cause  of  the  war  of  1812  in  which  his 
two  sons  had  to  light  to  obtain  independence  on  the  sea,  and  warned 
us  boys,  that  before  we  should  be  gray,  we  would  have  to  go  through 
a  third  conflict  to  obtain,  or  maintain,  our  commercial  independence. 
("Bulwer"  manacled  us  just  eight  years  afterwards.)  He  referred  to 
Great  Britain's  acts  which  prohibited  all  trading-  to  or  from  planta- 
tions, except  in  English  built  ships. 

ENGLAND'S  COMMERCIAL  POLICY. 

America  abounded  in  iron  ore,  but  England  was  dependent  on  the 
iron  industry;  her  laws,  therefore,  forbid  all  iron  manufacture  in  the 
Colonies.  No  smith  might  make  so  much  as  a  bolt,  or  a  spike,  or  a 
nail. 

America  abounded  in  furs  which  beg-an  to  be  used  in  making  hats. 
Parliament  forbid  their  exportation,  even  froni  Colony  to  Colony. 

"Eecky,"  (the  historian),  saj's  "the  deliberate  and  malignant 
selfishness  of  English  commercial  legislation  was  digging  a  chasm 
between  the  mother  country,  and  the  Colonies,  which  must  inevitably, 
when  the  latter  became  strong  enough,  lead  to  separation.  Lecky 
further  saj's — "England  made  it  the  fixed  maxim  of  her  commercial 
policy  to  repress  the  commercial  prosperitj'  of  her  Colonies  by  crush- 
ing every  industry  that  could  possibly  compete  with  the  home  market. " 

We  won  from  England  a  right  to  life,  and  Liberty,  and  it  now 
remains  to  us,  to  the  administrators  of  this  Nation,  to  contend  for  the 
right  to  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  b3'  opening  the  great  commercial 
highway. 

Here  in  thi*  historic  city,  we  renew  our  declaration  of  independence, 
and  declare  we  will  continue  the  pursuit  of  happiness  through  an  inde- 
pendent Isthmian  Highway,  by  the  construction  of  the  Nicaiagua  Canal. 

Here  one  word  of  lateral  interest.    It  is  not  only  the  distance  saved 

n  Uic  transit  by  water,  but  those  who  are  conversant  with  the  facts 

know  that  the  weary  days  spent  in  contests  with  the  storms,  and  cur- 


rents  off  Cape  Horn,  cost  more  in  the  wear  and  tear  of  ships  Ihan  all 
the  other  miles  sailed  on  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific  Oceans,  in  voyages 
from  Atlantic  ports  to  Northern  ports  of  the  Pacific. 

From  Pensacola,  an  English  ship  which  was  loaded  with  2000  tons 
of  pig  iron,  and  several  thousand  bales  of  cotton  (under  my  inspec- 
tion) was  compelled,  after  three  desperate  attempts,  to  pass  Cape 
Horn,  to  square  away,  and  make  the  run  over  the  long  stretch  of  sea, 
East. 

We  now  consider  another  direct  cause  of  delay:  The  necessity  of 
preserving  to  Great  Britain  the  advantage  she  has  at  present  in  dis- 
tance via  the  Suez  Canal  has  been  noted;  another  equally  as  strong 
was  stated  by  the  commissioners   in   my  interview  with  them.     "You 

know,"  said  Mr. ,  "that  if  the  United  States  are  permitted  to 

construct  the  Nicaragua  Canal,  it  will  cut  the  value  of  the  Suez  Canal 
right  in  two  in  the  middle."  "Yes  sir,  it  will  take  at  least  a  million 
of  pounds  from  its  'income." 

It  is  customary,  even  in  this  country,  to  consider  that  a  just  cause 
for  strenuous  opposition. 

We  will  look  over  the  delaying  causes  nearer  home  You  may 
have  noticed  how  some  of  our  Southern  journals,  published  in  the 
cities  which  would  receive  the  greater  benefits,  allude  to  the  Canal  as 
'that  ditch,"  and  if  asked  for  an  opinion,  would  reply  as  did  E'  sign 
Stebbins  of  Massachusetts  to  the  query  "are  you  in  favor  of  the  Maine 
Law,  Ensign?"  "Yes:  I  am  in  favor  of  the  Maine  Law,  but  I  am 
agin  its  enforcement." 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  such  publications  have  their 
price,  and  free  passes  are  more  potential  than  increased  business  (in 
prospect)  for  their  ports. 

The  strenuous  efforts  made  to  impose  upon   us  that   "gold  brick" 
known  as  the  Panama  Canal,  receives  now  and  then,  a  gleam  of  sun- 
shine from  the  other  opponents  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal;  not  that  there 
ft  lis,  or  has  been  for  years,  any  intention  of  constructing  it. 

The  Commissioners  avowed  there  would  be  no  Panama  Canal,  if  we, 
(the  United  States)  did  not  construct  the  Nicaragua  Canal. 

They  conceded  that  by  their  own  country's  action,  Britain  had 
violated,  not  only  one,  but  several  sect-ions  of  the  Bulwer  Treaty,  but 
as  we  made  no  protest  at  the  time,  we  conceded  its  continued  vitality, 
and  they  declared  it  would  serve  the  purpose  of  delaying  for  years  to 
come,  any  action  be  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 

Remember  this  conversation  took  place  July  14th,  10  p.  m.  1895, 
and  that  Great  Britain  has  accomplished  all  they  declared  she  would  in 
the  matter  of  delay,  and  in  the  manner  that  would  be  pursued. 


We  have  labored  for  years  to  convince  the  majority  in  Congress 
that  the  open  door  between  our  East  and  our  West  coasts  should  be 
under  the  direct  control  of  the  Nation. 

We  cannot  permit  our  common  sense  to  be  infeulted  by  the  assump- 
tion that  a  tinancial  corporation  of  millionaire.-^  can  maintain  belter 
conditions  of  transit  than  the  Government,  directed  by  1()0  million  of 
its  citizens,  each  and  every  one  beinj^,  or  to  be,  a  sovereig^n. 

Since  the  eminent  Dc  Lesseps,  not  only  in  his  souvenirs,  but  else- 
where, expressed  himself  in  this  language:  "it  was  very  clear  the 
Nicaragua  Canal  was  the  best  of  Canals  with  locks;  if  one  were  com- 
pleted to  adopt  that  system."  Our  attention  has  been  called  to  the 
actual  conditions,  and  we  can  confidentially  assert  that  the  expendi- 
ture of  S500,()00,U00  will  not  provide  a  sure  and  safe  transit  at  all  per- 
iods at  Panama.  All  that  g-oes  to  change  the  natural  conditions  ex- 
isting-, must  be  provided  at  an  immense  cost,  while  at  Nicrragua,  we 
have  the  primary  essential,  water,  in  unlimited  supply 

Now,  we  say,  that  it  is  well  known  to  all  men  who  are  intelligent 
upon  the  subject,  that  when  the  project  of  a  sea-level  Canal  is  thrown 
away,  the  value  of  the  Panama  location  is  obliterated. 

We  have  lost  too  many  friends  on  the  line  of  the  Panama  Canal 
to  have  it  retain  a  position  of  any  value  in  mere  location  in  our  con- 
sideration of  an  Isthmian  Canal. 

The  project  is  to  delay  to  the  remotest  time  possible,  the  construc- 
tion of  any  Canal,  and  for  that  purpose,  not  less  than  three  million 
dollars  per  annum  is  spent  in  order  to  delay  the  passage  of  the  proper 
legislation  by  Congress. 

The  enem/es  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal,  and  the  commercial  expan- 
sion of  the  United  States,  arc  wildly  shouting  "earthquakes,  terrific 
storms,  antipathy  of  foreig-n  Nations,"  while  winking-  with  fiendish 
eyes  at  each  other,  and  signalling  delay— delay. 

Gentlemen  of  the  convention:  I  have  not  found  in  my  fifty  years 
of  labor  as  the  friend  of  a  Canal,  any  oppositton  other  than  that  which 
has  its  recompense  in  CASH, 

Except  in  some  cases  it  was  owing  to  a  limited  capacity,  incapable 
of  understanding  its  value  to  the  Nation. 

For  sixty  years  the  friends  of  my  childhood  have  buffeted  the 
storms  of  the  Antarctic  in  passing^  Cape  Horn:  many  have  perished 
in  the  stru,gg-le;  nevertheless,  their  strenuous  labors  have  aided  in 
building  up  our  Pacific  States,  and  a  g-oodly  amount  of  commerce. 

Had  we  possessed  the  open  door  (the  Nicarag^ua  Canal),  our  line  of 
development  would  have  equalled  in  amount  of  tonnage  that  of  the 
"Sault  St.  Marie,"  and  today  we  w^OWld  be  dominating  the  commerce 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 


With  prophetic  vision  we  now  can  see  a  constructed  Canal;  our 
white  winged  messengers  with  3,  4,  5,  6,  yes  7  masts  are  competing 
with  the  steam  carriers  of  the  world's  commerce.  I  see  them  auxili- 
aried  bj-  the  use  of  speedy  launches,  fired  with  the  product  of  the  flow- 
ing oil  wells  of  Texas.  Our  Southern  forests  have  furnished  the 
essential  woods,  our  furnaces,  and  mills  have  rolled  out  the  metals, 
our  fields  have  given  their  yield  of  cotton  to  catch  the  inspiring 
breezes  as  they  are  moving  below,  and  aloft,  and  all  the  songs  that 
greet  cur  listening- hearts  are  of  Peace.  "Home,  fare  thee  well,  land 
of  the  free,  no  tongue  can  tell  the  love  I  bear  for  thee,"  we  hear  the 
mariner  singing  as  he  shapes  his  course  to  Foreign  lands. 

With  this  great  highwa}-  completed,  the  Star  Spangled  Banner 
will  resume  its  old  time  place  at  the  front  of  all  commercial  Nations; 
not  a  color  to  fade,  or  a  star  to  grow  dim,  until  they  melt  into  the  light 
of  the  glorious  millennial  morning,  when  all  the  world  shall  be  at 
Peace,  and  every  man  accord  to  his  neighbor  the  felicities  of  unclouded 
Brotherhood. 

POSTSCRIPT. 

The  criticism  of  the  address  as  delivered  in  Philadelphia  although 
the  critic  (a  lineal  descendant  of  Annanias)  did  not  quote  what  I  said, 
but  what  was  entirely  his  own  statement  and  never  referred  to  by  me 
in  the  address,  leads  me  to  call  attention  to  the  facts,  that  would  de- 
mand stronger  language  than  I  used  to  designate  them. 

The  addition  of  40,000  men  to  the  regular  army,  the  result  of  our 
Phillipine  action,  will  cost  us  annually,  directly,  and  indirectly  $20,- 
000,000.  The  annual  interest  on  the  expenditiA"es  already  incurred  will 
be  about  S10,000,000,  a  total  of  $30,000,000  per  annum. 

When  the  Canal  is  completed  the  tolls  should  not  be  levied  at  a 
rate  that  will  pay  above  $6,000,000  net  revenue.  This  will  leave  as  the 
annual  tax  on  our  "benevolent  assimilation"  $24,000,000  in  contrast  to 
our  "commercial  assimilation"  net  revenue  $6,000,000,  to  which  may 
be  added  the  profit  on  commercial  transactions  of  $10,000,000  more,  a  net 
result  of  $40,000,000  annually  above  the  plans  pursued  after  the  Spanish 
American  war  had  been  most  righteously  fought,  gloriously  won  and 
the  treat)-  of  peace  signed.  The  writer  addressed  to  Hon.  John  Sher- 
man. Secretary  of  State,  a  telegram  on  the  day  following  the  blowing 
up  of  the  "Maine:"  "Demand  of  Spain  $25,000,000  indemnity;  if  not 
settled  in  48  hours  call  for  50,000  volunteers,  take  and  hold  Cuba  in 
the  interests  of  Peace.  That  does  not  incline  me  to  look  upon  the  eft'ort 
to  obtain  promotion  in  rank  as  other  than  a  debauchery  of  the  Ameri- 
can principle. 


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